The Marquee Awards · Categories

The 25 Categories

Modeled after what the Emmys and Critics’ Choice get right, but reorganized for the platform-agnostic, anthology-rich, season-condensed reality of streaming in 2026. Each category has a clear remit, a defined eligibility window, and a published evaluation rubric the editorial jury follows.

I · Series Categories

The four marquee series.

Awarded to the producing organization. Eligibility window: at least one episode premiered between September 2025 and August 2026. Returning series and new series compete in the same field.

01

Best Drama Series

The single best continuing drama of the year, regardless of platform or release model. Hour-long form, but the test is the work, not the runtime.
02

Best Comedy Series

Continuing comedy. Half-hour, hour-long, or hybrid — the form has loosened; the standard hasn’t. Includes traditional sitcom, single-camera, and dramedy.
03

Best Limited or Anthology Series

Self-contained stories told across a single season or anthology arc. Among the streaming era’s most consequential forms; gets its own headline category.
04

Best Documentary or Nonfiction Series

Documentary work conceived for episodic release. Distinct from one-off documentary films.
II · Lead Performances

Five lead-acting categories.

Lead actor and actress in drama, comedy, and limited series. Limited series gets dedicated lead categories because the work, the seasons, and the careers it shapes are distinct enough.

05

Best Lead Actor — Drama

Continuing drama. Performer must appear in at least 50% of season episodes.
06

Best Lead Actress — Drama

Same criteria as 05.
07

Best Lead Actor — Comedy

Continuing comedy. Performer must appear in at least 50% of season episodes.
08

Best Lead Actress — Comedy

Same criteria as 07.
09

Best Lead Performance — Limited Series

Single combined category for limited series and anthology. The form has fewer slots and an outsized share of the year’s most-discussed performances; we honor them as a group.
III · Supporting Performances

Four supporting categories.

10

Best Supporting Actor — Drama

Performer in a continuing drama, not eligible for lead.
11

Best Supporting Actress — Drama

Same criteria as 10.
12

Best Supporting Actor — Comedy

Performer in a continuing comedy, not eligible for lead.
13

Best Supporting Actress — Comedy

Same criteria as 12.
IV · Direction & Writing

The craft categories.

Direction and writing for a drama series, comedy series, and limited series. Submitted episode and credited team. Cinematography, editing, and design recognitions live in a separate Craft Marquees ceremony — to give the on-stage program room to breathe.

14

Best Direction — Drama

Submitted episode for evaluation; full season context provided to jurors.
15

Best Direction — Comedy

Same criteria as 14.
16

Best Writing — Drama

Single episode (drama) or single arc (anthology). Showrunner credited if written-by team is submission.
17

Best Writing — Comedy

Same criteria as 16.
V · Form-Specific Categories

Five forms with their own field.

Reality, variety, animation, international, and the year’s most-bingeable series. Each gets a dedicated category because each operates by genuinely different rules.

18

Best Reality or Competition Series

Unscripted competition or reality. Strong preference for craft of editing and casting; reality-game purity tested in the rubric.
19

Best Variety or Talk Series

Late-night, sketch, and recurring talk formats. The streaming-era version of variety often hides in podcasts and YouTube; we capture the long-form streaming ones here.
20

Best Animated Series

Adult-oriented and family-oriented animation compete in the same field, judged by formal achievement.
21

Best International Series

Non-English-language work that broke out internationally. Increasingly the most-watched corner of streaming — and the easiest one for English-language awards bodies to overlook.
22

Most Bingeable Series

An audience-oriented honorific. Decided by combined viewership, completion-rate, and editorial input. The series people actually finished.
VI · The Marquees Specials

Three categories unique to us.

The categories you won’t find at the Emmys or Critics’ Choice. These are why the Marquees exist.

23

Streaming Platform of the Year

A Marquees-only category. The platform whose 2026 originals slate, as a whole, defined the year. Decided by quantity, quality, and cultural impact — reasoned citation published with the winner.
24

Showrunner of the Year

The single creative voice whose 2026 work most shaped the conversation. Recognizes total body of work in the eligibility window, not a single submission.
25

Show of the Year

The top prize. Decided by combined jury and editorial vote across all categories. The series that most earned its place at the front of the marquee.
Eligibility Window · September 2025 — August 2026 · Submissions Open June 2026
What’s next

Submissions open this summer.

Producers and platforms can submit work for consideration starting June 2026. Nominees announced November 2026. Ceremony December 2026. Until then, the editorial jury is being assembled and the nomination criteria for each category are being finalized.